Improvement in carriage-curtain fasteners



G. R. PIER PONT. Carriage Curtain-Fastener.

No. 207,546. Patentd Aug. '27. I878 Wham-1 hue/m1:

"- RS, PHOT0 LITHOGRAPNEE WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. P-IERPONT, OF NORTH HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGE-CURTAIN FASTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.207,5 16, dated August27,1878; application filed July 22, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE RUFUS PIER- PONT, of North Haven, in thecounty of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new andImproved Fastener for Ourtains of Carriages, &c., of which the followingis a specification:

Although designed particularly for fastenin g the detachable edges ofcurtains used upon carriages, railway-cars, and other vehicles, with aView to be loweredand fastened, or rolled or drawn up at pleasure, yetthe invention is applicable to and advantageous for fastening variousdetachable articles or parts of articles together.

The invention consists in the combination, with a stud or buttonprovided with a head or flange and a cavity in one side, of a dogconsistin g of a pivoted lever provided with a spur or flange projectingfrom said cavity, and which may be depressed to permit the buttoning ofa curtain or other article upon it, and after the buttoning thereof maybe impelled outward by a spring, so as to project over the curtain orother article and securely retain it in place.

The invention also consists in the combination, with such button anddog, of a curtain or other article to be fastened thereby, provided witha button-hole facing or stiffener for rendering the button-hole rigidand durable andfacilitating its operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a buttonand a portion of a curtain to be fastened thereby embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of said button andtransverse section of the portion of the curtain to be fastened thereby,and Fig. 3 is an end View of the button and a View of the outside of theportion of the curtain to be fastened thereby.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A designates the button, which has an approximately cylindric body and ahead or flange, a, projecting from it, but mostly from one side only-2'.e., not all the way around it. It may be secured to its support in anysuitable manner, as, for instance, by means of a shank, b, driven orscrewed into the same.

dinal cavity or recess, 0, wherein is fitted an adjustable dog,consisting of alever, B, pivoted in place near the inner end of the saidrecess,

as shown at d, and provided at the inner end with a toe, e, or itsequivalent, for lmpinglug against the bottom or inner end of the cavityto preclude its outer end from rocking or swinging too far out of thecavity or recess 0.

.C designates a spring, which may be of helical form, arranged betweenthe back of the cavity or recess 0 and the inner side of the adjustabledog, some distance from its pivot, so as to impel the free end of thelatter outward when not otherwise actuated. The free end of thisadjustable dog is furnished on the outer side with a spur or flan ge, f,which is p eferably coincident with the head or flange a of thebutton,and serves, in connection therewith, to fasten any article slipped orbuttoned upon it.

D designates a portion of a curtain, such as carriages and othervehicles are commonly provided with to afford protection from sun andrain when desirable. It has a washer or ring,-E, of leather, or othersuitable material, applied to its back around its button-hole, and afacing or stiffener, G, consisting preferably of a ring of metal,applied to its front, provided with prongs, which are forced through thecurtain and back ring E, and bent over the latter, so asto secure it andthe back ring to the curtain.

These rings protect the button-hole, render the curtain more durable,and the metal facing or stiffener facilitates the buttoning andunbuttoning of the curtain by precluding it from binding.

To fasten the curtain to the button it is slipped over the free end ofthe dog,,under its spur or flange f, and is then pulled toward theopposite side of the button and forces in the dog, so as to be free toslip over the head or flange a of the button, whereupon the dog movesout again automatically, and its spur or flanges f, in connection withthe heads or flange a, lap over the curtain and fasten it in place. Tounfasteu the curtain it is only necessary to pull it, so as to force thefree end of the dog inward, and then slip it over the head or flange aof the button.

It will be seen that by my invention I provide a simple, secure, anddurable buttonfastener, which may be operated with equal facility asthose ordinarily used.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination, with a button provided with a head or flange, andwith a cavity in one side, of a dog consisting of a pivoted lever,provided with a spur or flan ge, and impelled outward by a spring.

2. The combination, with a button and an GEORGE R. PIERPONT. I

Witnesses CHANDLER HALL, OWEN PRnN'rIss.

